Redemption
by hunnyambrose-unchained
Summary: Jonathan Good is a petty criminal who only cares for himself. Renee Paquette is a timid and kindhearted waitress who just stays to herself. But the way their paths will cross will definitely be unsuspected and will shake up the both of their world's.
1. Chapter 1

Jon scoped out the local corner liquor store for a while from his car. It would be the first liquor store he looked to rob from since he didn't think about robbing a bank. As nice as it sounded, he didn't need that much money. A liquor store would do. He just needed enough to buy food to put into his stomach so that he wouldn't go to bed hungry tonight is all. He learned to survive by doing whatever he had to to make it in this cold world. He looked over into the passenger seat at the black mask and gun he had brought. Reaching over, he grabbed the mask and stuffed it into his back pocket then put the gun in between in his pants. Jon got out of his car and walked quickly to the liquor that was across the street. Luckily there was a couple of people on the street so Jon didn't have to worry about too many eyeballs on him. He glanced inside of the store as he pulled out his mask and placed it over his head after looking around him once more. The liquor store seemed to be empty aside from the cashier inside but regardless, Jon would have to make this quick. He pulled out his gun, took a deep breath, then swung the door open and pointed the gun at the cashier.

"Give me all of the fucking money in the register now! And don't you even think about pushing that button under the counter or I will shoot your damn fingers off!" Jon screamed.

The cashier didn't say anything as he whipped out a bag, opened the register, and stuffed the money into the bag. He knew things would definitely go smoother if he would just cooperate with the person who was robbing him. He slid the bag of money towards Jon and backed up.

"Thank you, sir," Jon said as he ran out of the liquor store.

He was sure the cashier pressed the button to alert the police so he knew he had to get the hell away from the place as soon as possible. Jon swung his door open, threw the money in the car along with the gun, got in, and started the engine. Closing his door, he did a u-turn and drove off back home as quickly as he could. He yanked the mask off of his head and tossed it into the passenger seat as well. Hearing sirens nearby, he took a detour to his apartment so that he wouldn't risk running into the police. He was speeding and he would definitely give himself away. Jon began to do the speed limit down the street and double checked his rear view mirror to make sure no one was following him.

Jon pulled into his apartment complex and drove to his parking space in front of his place. He didn't live in the fanciest of areas of course but it wasn't too bad. He was probably the most dangerous person in the entire complex given his past and the fact that he just robbed a liquor store. Jon turned off his car, put the gun in his pocket, hid his mask in the glove department, and grabbed the bag of money and got out of his car then locked it. Good thing it was dark outside so that no one would see what he had in the bag. Jon walked to his apartment and took out his key from his pocket to unlock the door. He slammed the door and locked it before kicking off his shoes and jacket. Turning on the lamp, he sat down on the couch and dumped the money on his table and began to count the cash.

He counted $568 in cold cash and smiled to himself. He took his cell phone out of his hoodie and dialed the number to Pizza Hut and ordered some hot wings and coke for himself.

"Not gonna go hungry tonight," Jon sang to himself as he hung up the phone.

Jon laid on the couch, putting his hands behind his head, and kicking his feet up.

He had planned on robbing another store as he was feeling very good about this one. Or robbing someone. Didn't matter.

* * *

Scoping out an alleyway, Jon parked his car across the street from the alleyway and waited for someone to walk through. A buffet had a backdoor that led out to the alleyway and some employees would throw away boxes and trash in the dumpster outside. Since Jon didn't want to rob another store, robbing someone tonight would have to do for now. The lights in the buffet dimmed and the red open sign was cut off for the night. Jon waited a while since there was quite a few employees leaving the restaurant from the entrance and the back.

It seemed that everyone had finally left since no one else was leaving the place. As Jon was about to turn his car on to leave, someone stepped outside with two trash bags in their hands. Jon took his hand off of his keys then stepped out of the car, putting his mask on. He quickly ran to the alleyway and walked up to the unsuspecting person. He took his gun out of his pocket and pointed it at the man.

"Give me your money and don't make a scene about this either," he said.

The man dropped the second trash bag he was going to throw in the dumpster.

"Hey man, don't hurt me. I have a pregnant girlfriend at home, man!" he said.

"Just cough up some cash and you'll get back to her with no problem," Jon said.

Someone else walked out of the backdoor and saw what was going on. He was brave and bold as he approached Jon.

"Hey, asshole! Back the fuck off!" he said.

"Get out of my way," Jon said.

"No," he said. "Chris, call the police. I'm not afraid of you."

"You're bold," Jon said. "I will give you that. But don't be a hero. Move the fuck out of my way."

"Make me."

Jon punched the second guy in the mouth, sending him to the ground then grabbed the other employee and held the gun to his face. The employee quickly took out his wallet and handed Jon the cash with a shaky head.

"Wise choice," Jon said.

All of a sudden, he was tackled to the ground by the second employee he had punched. Jon's gun fell out of his hand and skidded across the hard rocky pavement. He put up his arms as he defend himself from the blows of the guy who he had punched.

"ASSHOLE!" he screamed at Jon.

Jon quickly overpowered the man and flipped him over onto his back. He started punching him in the mouth making him bleed profusely. The other man, Chris, had put Jon in a headlock and yanked him off of his friend.

"I got him, Phil!" he said.

Jon pushed Chris back to the wall hard and scratched at his arms from around his neck.

Phil lunged at Jon and hit him in the mouth again. Jon slammed Chris against the wall once again and finally broke free of his grasp. Phil tackled Jon to the ground again and started to hit him again. Defending himself with one arm, Jon tried to reach for his pocketknife in his pocket but to no avail. He kicked Phil off of him and finally got it out of his pocket. When Phil came at him again, Jon ended up stabbing him in the neck to defend himself. Phil staggered backwards and fell to his knees before falling dead on the ground.

His friend Chris looked at the horror in front of him as he looked back up at Jon.

Jon looked at the dead body on the ground before looking back up at the man staring at him. Shaking his head, Jon turned, grabbed his gun, and ran right back to his car. Everything seemed to be a blur to him as him as he quickly got back into his car and drove off to his apartment. He didn't care about any speed limit on the roads nor did he care about the fact he was driving through residential areas to get to where he was going.

He was glad to see his apartment complex and almost hit another car parked next to his parking space when he parked his car.

He got out of his car and ran to his apartment. Looking over his shoulders as he fiddled around with his keys, he dropped them and yelled out "SHIT! FUCK!" before picking them up and finally inserting the lock into the key to unlock his door. He slammed the door behind him and locked it.

Making his way to the bathroom in the dark, he felt around for the light switch and flicked it on. Yanking the mask off, Jon took a long hard look at himself in the mirror as he tried to slow down his breathing.

His blue eyes were wide and wild, his brown sandy curly hair drenched with sweat. When he wiped the sweat off of his brow, he saw that he was wiping some of the blood from the dead man he had killed not to long ago. Jon turned on the faucet and pumped a bunch of soap into his hands then vigorously washed the blood off of his hands. The dark red water danced right on the down the faucet, the blood of the victim leaving Jon's hands. Jon wiped the blood off of his brow then turned the faucet off. He grabbed a towel off of the bathroom rack above his toilet and dried his hands and wiped the sweat off of his face.

All of sudden, Jon lifted the toilet seat and threw up. He wiped his mouth with some tissue, threw it in the toilet, and flushed it. He laid down on the floor of the bathroom and looked up at the ceiling.

Even though he robbed from people, was charged with aggravated assault, committed theft and burglary countless times, never before did he ever think he would end up killing someone. He didn't mean to, hell he didn't want to, but he had to defend himself. If that man he murdered had a wife, husband, girlfriend, boyfriend, children, nieces, nephews, grandparents, great-grandparents, just a loving family, they would definitely miss him. Of course, they wouldn't forgive him for taking the life of their loved one but he didn't mean to. He was defending himself, that was what he was doing. Everything he did was wrong but he had to make it somehow.

He would have to lay low for a while so that he could get his head straight and not run into anymore problems. He slowly got back up, pulled back the curtains to the shower, and turned the knobs. Taking off his clothes, Jon grabbed a face towel and got into the shower. He scrubbed himself clean and also washed his hair. He let the water rush down his face as his mind kept replaying the events of the night.

He then turned off the shower and stepped out. Drying himself off, Jon went to his room, turned on the light, and slipped on some boxers and sweats. Turning off his light, he went to sit down on the edge of his bed before slowly lying under the covers, pulling them up to his neck. Tears slowly fell down his face as he looked up towards the ceiling. If only he could reverse back time and prevent the murder from happening, he would. But he can't. No one can change the past, no matter how hard they think about how the past could've been different. He didn't know what else to do besides cry at the moment. Of course, someone like him didn't deserve to cry but there was a lot of remorse for what had happened.

The silence in the room was welcoming for Jon and and he could feel himself getting sleepy. After a while, Jon finally managed to close his eyes and fall asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Renee was closing up shop along with her coworkers after a long day. They said goodbye to each other and went to their cars. Renee was happy to finally be off of her feet and drove directly home so that she could take a bath. She smiled at the thought of finally cuddling with her boyfriend in the tub as well and unwinding. Even though he had told her that morning before he left that he was catching a ride with his friend, Renee decided to pick him up from work. He usually waited outside of the alleyway for her when she did come pick him up. As Renee drove down the street towards the buffet restaurant her boyfriend worked at, she saw a swarm of police officers and the fire department at the place. Now she was worried that something had happened since her boyfriend didn't answer her call when she got off of work. She pulled over on the opposite side of the road, cut her engine off, and got out of the car.

A policeman saw her approaching the crime scene and held up his hand to stop her.

"Ma'am, I cannot let you by. This is a crime scene," he said.

"My boyfriend works here and I tried calling him but he didn't answer. I'm worried about him," Renee said. "I see one of his friends right there. I just want to know if anything has happened to my boyfriend."

The officer looked behind him to see the victim's friend sitting down on the sidewalk with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders and his eyes glued to the road.

"Ma'am, do you know a man named Phil Landerson?" the officer asked Renee.

"Yes, I do. That's my boyfriend," Renee said. "Where is he? Is he here?"

A grave look took over the officers face as he looked Renee into her eyes.

"I'm sorry, ma'am...but your boyfriend has been murdered."

Renee thought her ears were playing tricks on her when she heard what the police officer had told her.

"WHAT!?"

"Ma'am-"

"HE'S DEAD!? WHO KILLED HIM!?"

Chris quickly ran over to Renee to comfort her as she fell to the ground. He helped her to the sidewalk and placed the blanket over her.

"I'm so sorry," Chris said.

Another police officer came over to see what was going on.

"Ma'am, are you related to the victim?" the officer said.

"Yes...he was my boyfriend..." Renee said. When she saw a body in a black bag get lifted onto a stretcher she stopped breathing for a few seconds. "I need to see him..."

Chris and the officer guided her to the ambulance. Renee braced herself as the black bag was unzipped and she was shown her boyfriend's corpse. She broke down crying once again and couldn't stop crying. The officer gave Renee a number she could call to contact someone about the murder.

"What happened?" Renee asked.

"Some guy tried to rob me and Phil came out and tried to help me fend him off. The guy pulled out a knife and stabbed Phil in the neck as he tried to take the guy down again. I'm so sorry, Renee. I tried to fight the guy off."

"I'm sorry for your lost," the officer said.

"Thank you," Chris said.

Slowly making her way back to the car, she got in and turned the car back on.

"I know you're very heartbroken right now. Do you want me to drive you home?" Chris said.

"I'm...I'm alright..." Renee said quietly.

"You sure?"

Renee slowly nodded her head and closed the door to her car. She started the engine and went straight home, knowing she had to deal with everything again tomorrow.

Who was the monster that did that to her boyfriend? Why would someone do something like that? So many questions ran through her mind as she drove home. For the first time, she would walk into her home alone.

* * *

The next couple of weeks was hard for Renee as she helped Phil's family rearrange his funeral. Renee was grateful she had the chance to kiss Phil on his forehead and say goodbye to him one last time. After the funeral, she headed back to his mother's house to be with her and the family. She didn't eat much and instead went to lie down in bed. She hadn't gotten any sleep whatsoever ever since his murder. The police had told her that they're continuing to find the criminal who murdered her boyfriend. Renee didn't think of the culprit as a criminal and instead an evil monster who took an innocent life. Her poor heart was broken and only with time would it heal. Chris knocked on the door of the room.

"Renee?"

"Come in," she said quietly.

She sat up as she wiped the tears away from her eyes.

"How're you holding up?" Chris asked.

He sat next to his best friend and hugged her.

"It's going to be hard living without him," Renee said. "Why did that guy try to rob you? Why did everything happen the way it did? Why, why, why!?"

"I wish I knew, Renee. I really wish I knew. It's a cold world out there. That night, he talked about how he was going to give you a nice foot massage when he got home from work."

Renee chuckled.

"I'm gonna miss that, too."

"Oh. Hold on..." Chris reached into his pocket and pulled out a bracelet. "He wanted to give this to you."

The bracelet had "I love you" engraved on it. Renee's tears flowed out of her eyes again as Chris placed the bracelet into her hands. Renee closed her hand and held onto the bracelet with all of her might.

"I'm gonna miss him so much..." Renee said.

"I know, honey. I know. I'm gonna miss him, too. He was such a good friend. Helped me out whenever he could."

Renee spent the rest of the evening laughing, crying, and beginning her journey of healing.

* * *

Her coworkers at the diner where she worked also offered her condolences to her. Her boss told her that if she needed to leave work she could anytime she felt like it and even gave her extra days off if she needed them. Renee needed something to keep her mind off the tragedy and focused on something else. Anything to keep her mind off of the terrible events that transpired during the last two weeks.

During her lunch break, Renee downed two big bowls of chocolate ice cream, one without fudge and one with a lot of fudge. One of Renee's friends sat next to her in the booth she was sitting in and rubbed her back.

"How're you feeling?" she asked.

"Hanging in there. I'm really hanging in there, Evelyn."

"Aww."

"It was hard falling asleep in bed by myself for the first time in forever. It's so hard..." Renee wiped tears away from her eyes and ate another bite of her ice cream. "If they don't find the guy who did this, I give up."

"Don't. The police will find the asshole who killed Phil."

"I truly hope so. I truly hope so."

Evelyn hugged Renee and gave her a kiss on her forehead.

"They will. If you need anything, just call me. Okay?"

"Okay."

* * *

When Renee got home, she kicked off her shoes and put food in her cat's bowl. The cat was happy she was finally able to eat and ate every drop of her food. Renee poured some water in his water bowl then laid down on the couch.

If only she could turn back the hands of time and rewrite history. Phil would be tickling her right now but now he's resting soundly in his grave. As tired as she was, the thought of this kept bothering her. She got back up, went to the kitchen, opened up some of the cabinets, and slammed a few glass plates down onto the hard floor in the kitchen.

"FUCK!" she screamed out loud to herself.

She cried and cried as she walked to her bedroom and fell on her bed.

"It's not fair...it's just not fair..." she said.

Getting back up, she took off her uniform and bra then laid down under the covers in her bed. She wanted this nightmare to be over with. She didn't want to deal with the pain and suffering anymore. She wanted it to stop. This nightmare had to end soon. Hopefully, when she woke up.

However, that was not the case. This was the new reality she had to deal with because of some petty criminal who was a monster.

Renee sighed and turned off her light as she fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

"Two cheeseburgers with everything on it!"

Jon took the receipt of an order and immediately got to work on the food. Throwing two patties on the grill, he quickly cooked them then placed them on two buns along with onions, pickles, lettuce, mustard, and ketchup.

"Order up," he said.

He placed the food on the counter then took off his apron. It was time for his lunch break, something he was looking forward to all day long. He walked out of the backdoor of the kitchen and sat down on a crate. He took a box of cigarettes out of his back pocket then along with a lighter and lit it up. Taking a long whiff of it, he blew the smoke through his nose. He watched the cars on the road pass him by as he continued to smoke. Earlier that morning before heading to work, there had been a news report of the incident that happened in the alleyway. Jon had to quickly shut the t.v. off and clear his mind for the day. He was glad that his last robbery went smoothly and nobody got hurt. Even though a few weeks had passed since the incident, the entire scenario begin to play out again in his head.

It was only when someone called out to him when he was deep in thought.

"Hey!" one of his coworkers said. "You're sitting on my crate."

Jon slowly got up and stomped on his cigarette.

"You're really upset over a crate?"

"Nah, I just want you to move, hehe."

Jon shook his head and smirked to himself as he went back into the restaurant.

* * *

Renee grabbed a pen and a pad so that she could jot down customer's orders. She took a few orders then told the cook all of them. As she was pouring some coffee for the costumers, someone came in and sat down at the counter. He took his hat off and placed it down in front of him.

"Not to bother you, but may I please have a cup of coffee?" he asked.

"Sure thing," Renee said.

Renee gave the other people their coffee then poured the man his cup and placed it in front of him.

"Thank you, kindly," he said.

"You're welcome," she said. "Anything else I can get you?"

"Two pancakes with three slices of bacon, please."

"Coming right up."

The man was mesmerized by the waitress' beauty. Her short blonde locks, pink lipstick, and welcoming personality made the woman even more attractive and beautiful to him. If she was with someone, they were lucky to have someone gorgeous like her.

The chef handed Renee the man's plate of food which she placed in front of him.

"Thank you," he said.

"You're welcome," she said.

"You know, I'm not trying to be weird but I think you're very pretty."

"Aww, thank you." Renee's eyes lit up as she smile at the man. "You're pretty handsome yourself."

"Nah, I'm not," he said.

"But you are. Enjoy your food."

"Thank you."

After he finished eating, he left Renee a big tip then left the diner. Renee happily stuffed the money into her pocket and cleaned off the counter. That man being nice to her restored her hope just a little bit. It reminded her that not everyone in this world was cruel, evil, and selfish. It would take her a while to get back into dating since she just got over the death of Phil but she knew she'd find someone soon. Maybe it would be the man who was at the counter a few moments ago. The aura he gave off was a mysterious one, as if he usually kept to himself and didn't let too many people get near him. Who knows for sure. If he did come back to the diner, Renee definitely wanted him to tip her another fifty dollar bill for her service. Hell, maybe even a one hundred dollar bill at that!

After work, Renee ran to her car since it was raining cats and dogs outside. Since it would be raining for two days straight, she was glad she brought her umbrella even though she left it inside of the car. Turning on her engine, she pulled out of the parking lot and drove home. She made sure to avoid driving down the street of the alleyway where Phil was murdered. It was way too soon to even look down the very street where the alleyway is located. If she saw that very place she knew she would end up crying like a baby again and would end up filling the car with her tears. Renee drove to her brother's house to check on her son who was staying with his uncle for a few days.

* * *

Jon opened a can of cold beer, kicked his feet up on his couch, and began to watch t.v. He stuffed his face with a big bag of potato chips while chugging down a couple of beers. He knew this was obviously not the best snack but what the hell. This was a good snack and he definitely enjoyed every single bit of it.

However, his mind kept going back to the waitress at the diner. She was so gorgeous and elegant, even in her pink uniform. Jon decided to go back to the diner just to see her again. If she was in a relationship, however, he would have to forget it. If not, then hopefully she wouldn't mind if he wanted to get to know her better. If she didn't want to be bothered, then so be it. Jon knew he wouldn't be able to steal and do all of his other petty crimes if he did get into a relationship.

The thought of that brought back the image of that man he killed. The blood trickling down his neck and seeping through his fingers as he fell to the ground dying. Jon put the beer down on the coaster on his table and sat up. What in the world was wrong with him? Why was he like this? Robbing liquor stores, stealing from people. He had a job but the frustrations of lacking enough money drove him mad. He knew that committing crimes was definitely illegal and going back to jail was the last thing he needed to do. Especially if he wanted to be with someone. But part of him still got the rush out of robbing liquor stores.

Something had to give.

* * *

 **The next night:**

Jon walked into the diner and took a spot at the counter like he did the previous day. Renee walked out of the kitchen and eyed him.

"Why hello again," she said.

Jon waved at her.

"Hi," he said.

"Two pancakes with three slices of bacon?" Renee asked.

"Yup. With a fruit smoothie this time. Strawberry banana smoothie."

"Coming right up!"

Jon quickly thought of something to say to Renee as she fixed him a cup of coffee. He couldn't sound creepy, no. Instead, he had to remind himself to remain as calm as possible. Renee sat his coffee in front of him then his plate of food.

"Thank you again," he said.

"No problem," Renee said.

"Umm...I'm not trying to sound weird...forgive me...but...are you on your lunch break?"

"Actually, now is my lunch break. Thank goodness. I hope everything is good for you."

"It is." Jon smothered his pancakes with butter then cut them with a knife and started eating them.

"I'm very envious of those pancakes."

"Grab a fork and join me."

"Oh no, no. That's your food. I can make my own."

"I insist. It's about time I do something nice for someone else instead of being a selfish monster."

Renee was a little shocked at what he had said but she just smiled and grabbed a fork. She walked around the counter and sat down next to Jon. He slid her his plate of food and smiled as she ate a pancake and some bacon.

"You know, you're a very nice guy. Why would you think you're a selfish monster?"

"I did some things I'm not too proud of. Not at all."

"We all have made mistakes. But you can't consider yourself a bad person for making a mistake. I mean, it's not like you killed somebody or anything."

Jon almost spit out his smoothie when Renee said that. He quickly shook his head and wiped his mouth was a napkin.

"No," he said quickly. "No..."

"See? What's there to worry about? All you can do is learn from your mistakes and move on. And do not let anyone make you feel bad, either!"

Jon smiled and nodded his head.

"Okay. I'll do that. Well, I'll try."

"Not good enough."

"I will."

"That's better."

"See, aren't you glad you decided to eat the pancakes with me?"

"Yes I am. I'm actually enjoying my time here at work now because of you."

"You are?"

"Yes, I am."

"Well, now I'm enjoying my food with you, pretty lady."

"Aww, thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Do you live around here?"

"Yeah, just ten minutes away in the apartment complex by the freeway."

"Oh, okay. I live around that area, too. Say, would you like to go get lunch with me tomorrow night?"

"Sure!"

"Six is a perfect time. Is six alright?"

"Yup. You work tomorrow?"

"Yes, but I'll be going straight home afterwards so I'm going to give you my address."

"No worries, I'll come by and pick you up."

"Aww. Thank you."

"No problem!"

"I never got your name."

"Jon. And I can see from your name tag your lovely name is Renee."

"Yes it is! And thank you for the compliment. I'll see you tomorrow!"

"See ya."

Jon paid for his food, tipped Renee a hundred dollar bill, exchanged cell phone numbers with her then left the diner.

* * *

 **Later that night:**

Jon was driving down the street after making a late night run to the store to pick up some paper towels. It was raining heavily so he took precaution while driving. The weather seemed to have lost its mind and decided to go crazy. He took precaution when driving down the road since it was also foggy as well.

He drove past a car that was parked along the road and heard someone screaming out for help. Jon pressed on the break, put the car in reverse, and backed up to see what was going on. Someone slammed on the window of the door on the passenger side and screamed "HELP ME!"

Jon rolled down his window to see who it was.

It was Renee.


	4. Chapter 4

**Note: I'm changing Renee from having a nephew to having a son instead.**

* * *

"What's the matter?" Jon said, taking his seat belt off.

"Someone hit my son! It was a hit and run! Please, help!"

Jon put the car in park and quickly got out to help. He saw a boy lying on the ground motionless, the rain from the sky hitting him hard. The dim light from the street light allowed Jon to see that the boy's eyes were closed. Jon picked the boy up and carried him to his car, opening the back door, then lying him down in the backseat. Renee jumped in and slammed the door shut.

Jon ran back to the driver's seat, got in, and rushed to the hospital as fast as he could.

He turned into the emergency entrance at the hospital and slammed on the brakes in front of the doors. He got out and went in to get somebody.

"Help me! I have a kid who's been hit by a car in my back seat!" he said to a nurse.

All of the medical personnel rushed outside to his car to get the boy. Renee got out and watched as they put him on the stretcher and wheeled him inside. Jon looked at his backseat and saw some blood on the leather material of his seat. He grabbed the paper towels and begin cleaning the backseat.

A nurse had taken Renee to be near the operating room as they worked to try to save her son.

Police officers soon came to question Jon to figure out what happened.

"I don't know," Jon said, running a hand through his messy curls. "I was just driving home from the store and the lady was screaming for help. She told me someone hit her son. Her car had broke down and I assume they were walking towards the auto shop that wasn't too far from where the car broke down."

The police officer quickly jotted down everything that Jon had told her.

"Do you know the woman you helped?"

"Um, yeah. Yeah, we started talking to each other today. I saw her yesterday then again today."

"Did you know she had a child?"

"No."

"What's the woman's name?"

"Renee. I don't know her last name."

"Your name is Jonathan Good, correct?"

"Yes."

"Alright, I'm going to question the lady to find out more information when she steps back out." The police officer stood by the doors leading to the operating room, not wanting to disturb Renee at the moment.

Renee placed her hand on the glass and watched for what seemed like eternity through as doctors operated on her son. The doctors tried and tried to revive the boy but to no avail. One doctor shook his head and another covered him with a white sheet.

It was like deja vu all over again for Renee.

"No...no...NOOOOOOOOOO!" she screamed. "NOT MY BABY! WHY!? NOT AGAIN! NOT AGAIN!" She hit the window as she fell to the floor. The nurse helped her over to a chair and comforted her the best she could.

Jon's heart begin to break when he heard Renee scream out. He didn't think as he begin to walk past the doors and saw Renee crying. Renee looked up and ran to Jon and continued to cry in his arms. All he could do was hug her tightly as she wept uncontrollably.

* * *

Renee slowly sat in the passenger seat of Jon's car and put her seat all the way down. She laid on her side and closed her eyes. She told Jon where she lived and didn't say anything after that. Jon pulled her seat belt over her and buckled it then drove off from the hospital towards Renee's home. He kept glancing over at Renee to see if she was okay.

Pulling up to her home, Jon got out and went to the passenger's side to open the door. He unbuckled her seatbelt and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Renee?" Jon said. He shook her shoulder. "Renee?"

Renee finally woke up, sat up in the seat, and looked at Jon.

"Please tell me this is all a dream..."

Jon slowly shook his head, grabbed her purse, and helped her out of the car.

"I'm so sorry," he said.

"...Thanks..." Renee said.

Jon walked with Renee to the front door and waited as she unlocked it.

"This is the second time I've lost someone...second time...second time...I know the police won't find the bastard who hit my son...it happened again." Renee grabbed Jon's hand and led him into the house. Renee slammed the door shut, locked it, then threw her purse and keys down to the ground.

Jon looked tried to feel around for a light and turned it on when he got his hand on a switch. Renee stormed to the kitchen, swung open the cabinets, and started slamming all of her dishes down onto the ground.

Jon ran in to yank a plate out of Renee's hand and pulled her in for a hug.

"It's okay," he said. "It's okay."

Now, he knew he was the last person to try and comfort someone. But this was something he knew he had to do. He helped Renee to the couch and held onto to her tightly as if she was going to run away. Not like he would blame her, though. She just lost her son so of course she was devastated and beyond upset about the death of her son. Plus, she said she already lost someone else before that so her world was definitely crashing down on her.

She sniffed and looked up at Jon.

"Thank you," she said. "Thank you for being there for me..."

"Anytime."

"I'm glad you stopped by the diner again."

Jon's heart broke as he saw the tears flow down Renee's face.

"I'm glad I did, too. Couldn't stop thinking about you."

"Aww." Renee hugged Jon's neck, closing her eyes, and squeezing him even more. "I'm sorry but I'm very upset and just need to hug you."

"Hey, you do not have to apologize! You just lost your son tonight. And whoever else you lost, I know your heart aches for them, too."

Renee then laid her head down on Jon's lap and looked up into this cold blue eyes.

"This is too much for me to handle...I honestly don't know how I can go on..."

"I'll help you."

Renee got up, went to her kitchen, and grabbed some liquor. She grabbed two cups and put ice in them and took the cups along with the liquor back into the living room.

"I know what else that can help!" She poured both cups to the rim and handed one to Jon. "Cheers!"

Jon and Renee clanked their cups against each other then drunk the liquor. It didn't surprise Jon that Renee downed the liquor in almost one gulp. She poured herself a little bit more and drunk it before setting her cup down again. Jon finished his and sat his cup down next to her's too.

"That was good," he said.

"Yes. Yes, it was. I wish my life was a little bit better now." Renee shook her head. "IT'S SHIT!"

"I'm so sorry. I wish I could change everything for you, Renee." When Jon put a hand on Renee's shoulder, she placed her hand over his.

"I know," she said, looking at him with a small smile. "I know."

Jon wrapped an arm around Renee again and began to stroke her arm.

"I need to feel good right now..." she said.

"What can I do to help?" Jon asked.

Renee looked up at Jon with a straight face.

"Come with me to my bedroom."

Jon raised his eyebrows as Renee took his hand and guided him towards her room. He was wondering why Renee would invite him into his room but he didn't say anything at first. When they got in the room, Renee closed the door, turned on the light in the room, and pulled Jon in for a kiss. Jon looked at Renee when she pulled back from him.

"Renee...I'm not sure about this, honey...I mean, you just lost your child..."

"I know. And I also lost someone else, too. But Jon...I just...I just feel like I need to relieve some stress right now...I have so much anger in me...it's crazy...please...just make me feel good...please..."

Jon picked up Renee, carried her to her bed, and laid her down. He rested between her legs as he kissed her, lifting up her skirt and tugged at her panties. Renee stripped out of her uniform, snapped off her bra, and got on top of Jon. He managed to take his shirt off as Renee kissed his neck and cheeks. She undid Jon's pants for him and watched eagerly as he yanked them off. Renee almost tore his boxers off of him as he almost tore Renee's panties off of her.

Opening her legs for Jon, she rested her head back on her pillow as Jon sucked on her clit gently. Renee's knees started to shake a little as she grabbed Jon's hair and tilted her head back.

"FUCK!" she said. "J-J-J-J-J-ON!"

Jon hovered over her and teased her with his cock. When Renee pleaded with him not to do that, he slowly stuck his cock into her and grinded slowly against her. Renee scratched Jon's back as she enjoyed the sensation of sex. She begged Jon to be more rough with her so that's exactly what he did but was still gentle of course.

He flipped Renee over so that she was straddling him. She dragged her nails across Jon's chest as she slowly bounced up and down on Jon's shaft. Jon moved his hands from Renee's hips to her breasts and squeezed them a little.

"Damn, Renee..."

"Jon...I'm about to cum..."

The both of them couldn't any further as Jon ushered Renee onto her back as he came on her stomach.

"Shit..." he said.

"That felt good..." Renee said quietly.

He waited as Renee clean up in the bathroom as he slipped on his clothes and went into the living room. Renee came out of the bathroom with her robe on and smiled.

"Do you want me to stay the night with you?" Jon asked. "I can go get some clothes and my stuff and come back."

"I would love that. I'll have some hot chocolate with marshmallows when you get back."

"Thanks."

* * *

Jon and Renee sat on the couch together, enjoying their hot chocolate and talking with each other. Jon was careful about what he was telling Renee so that she wouldn't throw him out on his face. He was really enjoying her company and she needed someone to comfort her right now.

"The police haven't found the killer yet. Still makes me upset. And I know for a fact they're not to find the asshole who committed the hit and run tonight."

"Hopefully they do."

"Hopefully. That's all I can do is hope."

Renee got up and grabbed a photo from her t.v. stand and sat back down with it. She handed it to Jon to see and took a sip of her hot chocolate.

"That was my boyfriend, Phil. He was murdered one night trying to protect his friend from some scumbag that was trying to rob our friend. It happened right as he was closing shop with his friend."

Jon stopped drinking his chocolate and looked at the photo closer. The person in the photo brought back a painful memory. A memory that sometimes haunted Jon, a memory that caused him to have nightmares and wake up in a cold sweat.

The person in the photo was the very man Jon had murdered a few weeks prior.


	5. Chapter 5

"Excuse me..." Jon put his cup of hot chocolate on the table and ran to the bathroom.

Renee heard him throw up and became extremely concerned. She walked up to the bathroom door, folded her arms, and stood across from the door.

Jon cleaned himself up, flushed the toilet, and washed his hands and splashed his face with water. He was a bit surprised to see Renee standing across the hallway waiting for him.

"You alright?" she asked.

Jon shook his head as he began to walk towards the front door. He picked up his bag and turned to look at Renee.

"Why are you leaving?"

"I can't...look, I know you...need somebody to comfort you...but I don't think I can stay..."

Renee sat down on the couch and put her hands into her lap. Shaking her head to herself, she stared at the ground as she spoke to Jon.

"I understand...trust me, I do. If you don't want to stay that's fine. That's fine. I felt like I've forced you to stay. Hell, we even had sex and we've only known each other for two days. Just leave. You don't deserve to have like a headache like me bothering you."

Jon sat his bags back down on the floor and joined Renee on the couch. The real reason he had wanted to leave is because he had sex with the very woman who was the girlfriend of the man he killed in the alleyway. No way was he going to tell her that, given that she's still grieving over the loss of her son and boyfriend. Despite this, Jon decided to stay the night with Renee.

"You're not bothering me...I just need to lie down for the night and so do you."

"Yeah. You sure you'll be alright?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. Goodnight." Renee pecked Jon on the cheek before heading off to bed. Renee came back with a blanket and pillows for Jon. "Almost forgot."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

"Night."

"Night."

* * *

Jon rest his head on the pillow and stared straight up at the ceiling even though it was pitch black dark. He still had a sick feeling in his stomach that was preventing him from falling asleep. Sooner or later, he would have to come clean with his confession. He killed Renee's boyfriend and he slept with Renee, the deceased man's girlfriend, who also had a child with her who was dead, which made him even more sick to his stomach. Jon threw the covers off of him and went to the bathroom. He turned on the faucet and doused his face with cold water then patted his face dry. Opening the door to make sure Renee hadn't gotten up to check on him, he went back to the living room and turned on the light. He slipped on his shoes, threw on his hoodie, and grabbed his keys. He didn't want to leave the door unlocked but he had to if he wanted to get back into the house and not wake Renee. Jon got into his car and drove around town to get his mind off of what he did. When he passed by the alleyway behind the buffet where he committed his crime, he sped up to get passed that pace. He stopped to get some food since he became hungry and went back to Renee's house. Despite wanting to go back to his own place, he decided to go back to Renee's house and stay with her. It was only for one night anyways.

* * *

The next day, Jon drove Renee to wherever she had to go in regards to getting funeral arrangements for her son.

Jon tried to remain out of the way while Renee took care of everything but still offered his support and helped out when she asked him to.

Even during the small funeral for the kid, Jon cried. He couldn't help but say "I'm so sorry this happened to you" quietly as he held Renee up so that she wouldn't pass out from crying. He was sad that the boy was gone and that his father was gone too, thanks to him. He was apologizing for taking the boy's father away from him. Renee had told him that her son didn't want to stay at home much because his father was there. Jon felt responsible for part of the grief Renee was going through and he took responsibility for his actions. For now, he was comforting Renee and making sure she was okay.

Over the next few weeks, Jon and Renee found themselves getting closer to each other. Very close.

One morning, they woke up in each other's arms. The previous night was filled with passionate sex that the two of them would definitely not forget.

"Good morning," Jon said.

"Good morning," Renee said. "Sleep well?"

"Hell yeah. After that wonderful sex session? Did you?"

"Yup." Renee kissed Jon on his lips and put her hand on his chest. "I have something I want to ask you."

"Sure."

"Is it possible...to live with you? I don't want to stay here anymore."

Stay with him? Jon didn't know what to say but deep down he knew he couldn't so no. He definitely understood why she didn't want to stay in the house anymore. His mouth _and_ his heart wouldn't let him say no to Renee.

"Of course. I understand you want to move out."

"Thank you. Oh, and this weekend is the last time I'm living here since I sold the house."

"Working quite fast are you?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry I didn't say anything about selling the house to you sooner. Can you forgive me?"

"You don't have to say that, Renee. But I am glad you told me now because now I can be prepared to make room for you."

"Thank you, Jon. What would I do without you?"

"I don't know. But I'm glad we crossed paths."

"Me too."

* * *

Renee wolfed down her Chinese food once her and Jon settled down for dinner. They had spent all day moving and moving and finally they could relax and eat. Her and Jon didn't say much at first as they ate their food.

Jon took a long chug of his Sprite and burped.

"Excuse me," he said.

"It's all good. I'm just happy I can finally eat," Renee said.

"I don't even have to ask if you're enjoying the food," Jon said.

"I am. Are you?"

"Yup!" Jon took a drink of water from his water bottle and continued eating. He noticed that the expression on Renee's face had went from happy to somber in a few minutes. "What's wrong?"

Renee poked at her sesame chicken and shook her head.

"Do you think I'm rushing things? I mean, we officially became boyfriend and girlfriend last week. Even though I love you very much, I feel as if I've moved on too fast."

"Don't feel bad. If you don't want to be with me anymore, that's fine. I'll help you find a place just for you if you don't want to be here with me. No hard feelings. No hard feelings at all." Jon reached over the table and placed a hand on Renee's.

"Thanks. But even though part of me feels like I moved on too fast, I still want to be with you. I'm sure Phil would still want me to be happy."

"He would. I know." Jon gently squeezed Renee's hand and mustered a smile. "Continue eating. It's funny how excited you are."

Renee's laugh was music to Jon's ears and he smiled even bigger.

"I'm glad I'm living with you. I'm glad I met you period."

"Me too."

Jon silently vowed to make it his mission to make Renee happy no matter what. Even though he was still a murderer and he was now the victim's boyfriend, Jon believed the least he could do was make Renee happy. This would also mean that he would have to stop robbing liquor stores. If Jon was truly going to try to be a better person, he would have to dump his bad habits.

* * *

 **Sometime past 2 a.m. in the morning:**

Jon looked out at the moon and the light from the moon that blanketed the river in front of him. He was standing on the sidewalk on the bridge above the water, with his gun and pocket knife in his hands. He looked down at his hands and shook his head in disgust. He didn't want to ever see these two things again and the more he looked at them, the more disgusted he became. The gun he used to commit robberies with and the knife he used to kill Phil needed to disappear forever. Jon hurled both the gun and pocketknife into the river and watched as they splashed into the water.

From here on out, he was definitely going to turn over a new leaf.


	6. Chapter 6

Jon was surprised to find Renee lying in bed awake when he got back home.

"Hey. What're you still doing up?"

"I had to pee and realized you was gone. I texted and called you but you didn't answer so I begin to worry. Where were you?"

"Just went out for a drive. Had to clear my mind." Jon put on a comfortable shirt, took off his jeans, then got back into bed with Renee.

"What's the matter?"

"Just couldn't sleep is all. I'm sorry I didn't answer you text or call I had my phone off."

"Oh, I see. I know I've been bothersome. I'm starting to think moving in with you was a bad idea."

"Renee, it wasn't a bad idea for you to move in with me. You didn't want to stay at your old home so I welcomed you into my home. You're staying with me and that's all there is to it."

Renee smiled at Jon and kissed him on his cheek. She stared into his eyes then leaned in and kissed him softly on his lips. Jon pulled down the top of her gown and rubbed his hand over her soft breasts, deepening the kiss. They lost track of time as they continued to be passionate with one another.

* * *

Jon picked Renee up from work the next night after leaving his own job. He was happy that his selfish ways were slowly fading away as he was madly in love with Renee. Picking her up from work was pretty damn fun, even if they didn't say anything during the ride.

"How was your day?" Jon asked as he got back into the car.

"Exhausting. Thank you for opening the door for me," Renee said, letting her seat back.

"You're welcome. Sorry if I don't do it often. I may or may not forget."

"It's fine. Hmm...something smells good in here."

"I cooked us some burgers and fries from my job."

"You work as a fry cook?"

"Yeah."

"Both of us work at places that serve food. Hmm. I'm surprised I don't hate coffee yet. In the morning before you head off to work, I'm going to make you a nice delicious cup of coffee to start your day."

"Thank you. I'd appreciate that."

"You're welcome."

"You feeling okay?"

"I am. Taking it one day at a time. Police still haven't found the bastards who committed the hit and run and they haven't found my boyfriend's killer. Maybe something will turn up. But I'm okay."

Jon wished he could take the pain away from Renee instantaneously but he knew that all he could do at the moment was be there for her.

"That's good. I'm only going to work a couple of hours tomorrow. Would you like to go to the county fair that's being held?"

"I'd love to."

Jon smiled at Renee as she smiled back at him.

"You know, you're very sweet, Jon. Something about you...you just give off good vibes."

"I'm just trying to be a better person is all. Be a good person...do some good...there's things I've done that I wish I hadn't."

"We all do. Doesn't make you a bad person. Some people don't believe they can do any wrong but at least you can admit you're not perfect. Hell, I'm not perfect."

"I know. You're a good listener you know that?"

"I know. I'm glad we met each other. If you need to talk to me about anything, I'm right here for ya."

"Me too."

Renee saw some fireworks popping off in the air nearby.

"Hey, looks like the fair is going on tonight. Would you like to watch the fireworks and eat the burgers in the car?"

"Sure thing."

Jon pulled into the parking lot of the fair and managed to secure a parking space before someone else who was right behind him took it. Loads of people were sitting on the grass on their blankets watch the fireworks go off in the sky. Jon and Renee ate their burgers and watched the fireworks light up the sky.

"Jon."

"Yeah?"

"You need a gold medal."

"For what?"

"Making these burgers so damn delicious."

"I'm glad you like them."

"I do!" Renee took another bite of her burger and ended up dropping mustard and ketchup on her waitress dress. "Shit!"

Jon grabbed a napkin and cleaned the condiments off of her dress.

"No worries, I got ya."

"Thank you!"

"You're welcome!"

"I think you should take the day off tomorrow. This fair looks very fun."

"Maybe..."

"Pretty please with a cherry on top?"

Jon couldn't resist the puppy dog eyes that Renee gave him so he ended up laughing.

"Alright, alright, I'll go."

"Yay!"

"Ready to go home?"

"Mmhmm. Man that burger was delicious. I actually want another one."

"Well, I can swing by my job and cook up some more."

"Tomorrow. You don't have to do it tonight. I'm actually in the mood for some butter pecan ice cream!"

"Home we go."

Jon turned on the engine, pulled out of the driveway, and headed back home. Once they got home, they both hopped in the shower and helped each other wash. Jon washed Renee's hair much to her delight and even blow dried it for her. Renee then ate ice cream in the bed as her and Jon watched some comedy movies. He finished off her ice cream when she was falling asleep while eating then woke up and gave Jon a dirty look when she figured out what happened. Jon promised her that he would buy more ice cream and even though Renee gave him she still gave him a side eye as she laid down and fell asleep. Jon soon turned the t.v. off, turned off the light, and laid his head down on his pillow.

"I will buy you some more butter pecan ice cream. Don't beat me up in my sleep."

"I'll try."

"I love you, Renee."

"I love you, too, Jon. Still gonna beat you up." Renee felt Jon kiss her on her forehead. "Still gonna beat you up."

* * *

The next day Renee had a nice helping of a hamburger and butter pecan ice cream at the fair. She made sure she was wide awake when she ate her ice cream and only gave Jon an extremely small spoonful of ice cream. They then went into a mirror house and got lost multiple times on the inside.

"Jon!?" Renee said.

"Renee!?" Jon said.

"Where are you!?" they both said together.

The two of them bumped into each other with their backs turned toward each other.

"There you are!" they both said and hugged each other.

"Let's get out of here," Renee said.

"Yes!" Jon said.

They both made their way out of the mirror house and went to see a magic show. The magician made a dozen birds appear inside of the tent and Jon had to duck to make sure one did hit him in the head. He quickly left since that was the last act and Renee followed him giggling all of the way.

"That's what you get for eating my ice cream!" Renee stuck out her tongue at Jon but began to run when he started to chase after her.

He swooped her up and spun her around in the air then sat her back down on her feet. He then pulled her behind a tree and kissed her.

"Man, I wish I could snap these overalls off right now..." Jon said.

"You'll have to wait until we get home, Mister I am horny," Renee said.

"I know you want to get it on, too."

"I do. But let's continue having some fun here at the fair. But first, I want you to kiss me."

"Will do."

Renee put a finger on Jon's lips before he could kiss her again.

"Jon, I want you to promise me something."

"Yes?"

"I want you to promise that you'll always remember that I love you."

"I promise. And I want you to remember that I love you, too."

The two then embraced each other in another deep kiss.


	7. Chapter 7

"What do you want to do today?" Renee asked Jon.

"I'm not sure. Anything you want to do, I'm down for it," Jon said.

"What about a drive-in movie?"

"Sounds good."

"Let's say we go in the next couple of hours."

"Sounds like a plan."

The two of them then cleaned up the house and got ready for their date later on that night.

* * *

Jon pulled into the drive-in and shut the engine off in the car. He pushed his seat back and got comfortable but remembered they needed some snacks. He went to buy some candy and water for him and Renee then got back into the car. He leaned his seat back and got comfortable in his seat as he watched the film with Renee. It was a comedy so Renee was laughing hard. So hard that she had tears flowing down her cheeks. Jon was pleased to see Renee laughing and having a good time. He was enjoying the film just like she was and even busted out in laughter for a while during a funny scene.

After the movie, Jon took Renee out to eat and ordered a steak and lobster dinner for them both.

"Steak and lobster, eh?" Renee said.

"Yup. I was in the mood for it," Jon said. "That film was terrific, wasn't it?"

"Yes. Yes, it was."

"I haven't seen you laugh that hard ever!"

"Well, it was a hilarious film. The part where the main guy falls down the stairs is what got me. And I really enjoyed the film."

"And I enjoyed watching you laugh and smile and cry tears of happiness."

"Aw, that's so sweet of you!" Renee said.

"Well, I try to be. I need to be sweet for once in my life," Jon said.

"Well, you are sweet."

"Thank you."

The waiter came back with their food and placed their plates in front of them. Both Jon and Renee didn't say much to each other for the rest of the meal besides asking each other if they were enjoying the food because it was that damn good. They even ordered more plates to go along with some appetizers because the food was so damn good.

When they got home, Renee put the food in the fridge and went to the room, sliding into bed beside Jon and cuddling next to him. He turned off the light and got comfortable.

"Jon?"

"Yeah?"

"When you said you needed to be sweet for once in your life…what exactly did you mean by that? I'm not looking deep into his or anything but when you said that, it had me thinking about some things. Plus, the tone of your voice and your facial expressions said it all. It was as if you've done something you're not proud of and you feel as if you need to redeem yourself or something. What exactly have you done to make you believe you're not a good person?" The moment of silence that followed for a few minute or two made Renee bite her lip and regret asking. "I'm sorry, Jon. I didn't mean to pry."

"No, it's fine. I need to tell you anyways. I've been to jail before for burglary. Not something I'm proud of."

"I see."

"You're right, I am trying to redeem myself. And I hope to be a better person than I was before. I hope this doesn't change your mind about me in any way, shape, or form. But if it does, then I understand."

"You opening up when you didn't have to and being honest just now makes me love you even more."

"And I love you even more for listening and understanding, Renee. I really do appreciate it."

"I'm glad I could be helpful and a good listener for you. I care about you a lot."

"So do I. So do I."

"I love you, Jon."

"I love you, Renee."

Jon the top of Renee's head then fell asleep with her. He felt relieved to finally tell Renee something about his past. Renee had told him about her past with no problem but Jon had never opened up about his past until now. But there were still certain things that Renee didn't need to know…couldn't know…

Renee knew that Jon loved her however and so that was something she would always know.

* * *

Renee woke up in the morning to see that Jon wasn't in bed. He had gone to work and would be pulling an extra shift for a couple of hours tonight. She got up and went to the bathroom to get freshened up for the day. She found a note on the window that said "Have a nice day. Remember, I love you :) I also made breakfast for you. Enjoy". Renee smiled, took the note off of the mirror, then went to the kitchen and opened the microwave. Jon had made her pancakes, bacon, and eggs for breakfast. Grabbing a fork out of the drawer and rinsing it off, Renee devoured her breakfast then went to brush her teeth and take a shower in the bathroom.

She then headed to work afterwards and couldn't stop thinking about Jon making her breakfast. Of course he didn't have to do it but he did and she was grateful for that. She wanted Jon to know that he was a sweet and kind person and that whatever he did in the past was in the past.

She was happy when she was finally on break because she went to visit Jon at his job since they didn't work far from each other.

"Thank you for bringing me coffee," Jon said.

"You're welcome," Renee said.

"I hate that I have to work two extra hours tonight but I'll be home before you know it."

"I know. Jon...um…I just want to tell you that I think you're a sweet person. And thank you for making me breakfast. Despite what you've did in the past, I still love you." She placed her hand over Jon's.

Jon smiled at Renee.

"You're welcome. And thank you," he said.

"You're welcome."

"I have an hour break…"

"Me too…"

Jon quickly got up and took Renee's hand in his. They both retreated back to Jon's car and hopped in the back. He climbed on top of Renee has he begin to kiss her hard on her lips. Renee tugged at Jon's shirt and dug her nails into his lower back as she ran her left hand through his hair.

"Jon…I think maybe we shouldn't go too far…wait until home…"

"Of course…but I'm enjoying this."

"Oh me too. How has your day been so far?" Renee lifted her head up so that Jon could kiss her under her chin.

"Good. Even better since you showed up."

"I'm glad I decided to visit you today. I believe I'm going to come back again tomorrow…and the next day after that, too."

"I'll visit you tomorrow. Visit you tomorrow, you visit me the next day, I visit you the next day."

"Sounds like a plan! Yipe!"

Jon grinned as he kissed Renee on her neck. The smell of her perfume was alluring and it made him want to take Renee home that very moment but unfortunately he couldn't go home just yet.

* * *

Once they were home however, Jon and Renee had passionate rough sex that last for a few hours. They were definitely going to have scratches and maybe some hickeys they would have to probably cover up the next day.

They took a nice hot bubble bath together then got ready to go to bed.

As soon as they laid down, Jon got a call on his cell phone.

"Hello?...WHAT!? Okay, stay there, I'm on my way!" Jon hung up his cell phone and scrambled out of bed. "Renee, something's come up. A friend is in trouble and I'm going to go and help him. I'll call you later when everything is settled, alright?" Jon laced up his shoes, kissed Renee on her lips, then jetted out of the bedroom.

"Be careful!" Renee said.

"I will!" Jon said, shutting the door after him.

"Please, be careful…"


	8. Chapter 8

Renee ran her hands through her hair as she paced back and forth in the room. She was waiting on Jon to answer her phone calls or text messages since she was beyond worried about him. He hadn't contacted her since the previous night and it was now morning time. She heard the front door open and close which caused her to jot out of the room into the living room.

"Hey," Jon said.

"Where have you been!?" Renee hugged Jon and put her hand into his curls. "I've been worried about you!"

"I'm fine. Just spent the night at my friend's house last night. I'm sorry I didn't answer you calls or text messages. I didn't charge my phone."

"Next time take your charger!"

Jon smiled a little at Renee.

"I will. I was just in a hurry is all and was worried about my friend."

"Is your friend alright?"

"Yeah."

"That's good."

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine now that you're here."

"Sorry to worry you. It won't happen again."

"Apology accepted. But now I have to ask…is there anything else you need to tell me? Yeah, you've told me that you've been in trouble before and you're redeeming yourself and everything which is good and all but if there's anything else you need to tell me, tell me. You don't have to tell me now…or even tomorrow. Hell, not even a week from today or a month from now. I'm also not going to force you to tell me anything you're not comfortable with telling me just yet. But eventually, I'll have to know. I need to know if you have any problems with anyone or anything. I don't want you to get hurt is all. I don't want anyone else to get hurt."

Jon hugged Renee and rubbed her back, trying his best to console her.

"Everything is fine. I don't have anything else to hide."

"Okay. Oh…by the way," Renee said, looking up at Jon. "I was cleaning our room and I moved your shoebox into the closet if that's okay."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. I didn't open it either since it clearly says "Personal Journal Box" on it."

Jon was relieved that Renee had enough respect not to open his journal and start reading his entries. She would've found out that he was the very man who killed her boyfriend, the very man who caused some of her grief in the first place. The very man who she was now living with and developed a relationship with was the murderer who ended her boyfriend's life. Jon quickly pushed that to the back of his mind as he smiled at Renee.

"Yeah." Jon ran his hands through his hair and shrugged his shoulders. "I just like to write sometimes."

"I sometimes see you in the chair in the room writing and writing sometimes but I don't say anything. I like seeing you write. You look very concentrated sometimes…hearing you laugh and cry makes me laugh and cry sometimes, too…"

"That's the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me…" he said. Jon cupped Renee's face in his hands and leaned down so he could give her a kiss. "I love you so much, Renee."

"I love you, too, Jon. I'm always hear for you. Just remember that."

"I will."

* * *

Jon woke up the next morning to find Renee lying beside him wide awake. She had an expression on her face that looked like she had something to say to him but didn't know what to say. Jon sat up in bed, leaned over towards Renee, and kissed her lips.

"Good morning," Jon said with a groggy voice.

"Good morning," Renee said. She bit her lip as she continued to look Jon in his eyes.

"What's the matter?" Jon asked.

Renee's soft hand reached under the covers and rested on Jon's dick. Knowing immediately where this was going, he laid back down on his back and watched as Renee threw back the covers and pulled down his boxers. Looking up at him, Renee took Jon's dick into her mouth and slowly started to bob her head up and down. Jon was at a loss for words as he breathed deeply as he ran his hands through Renee's short blonde locks. Renee licked the tip of Jon's shaft then slowly moved her lips on the side of it. He definitely needed this as he felt as if he was on cloud nine. This was definitely a lovely way to start off his morning.

Renee swallowed of all Jon's cum when he finally reached his climax and looked up at him in content.

"How did that feel?" she asked.

Jon put a thumbs up.

"Great. Just great."

"Good. What would you like to eat?"

"I'm not sure. After that blowjob, I'm feeling a bit too good to even eat to be honest."

"Well, I'm still going to cook you something."

"Thanks but trust me, I don't want anything to eat. Just a cup of coffee and some toast. I'll be in the shower getting ready for work."

When Renee got to the kitchen to make breakfast, she decided she was going to make Jon an omelette. He was surprised to see that she actually made him food after he had gotten dressed for work.

"Oh, wow!" Jon said. "Thank you, Renee. But sweetie, you didn't have to cook me anything."

Renee pulled up a chair next to Jon's and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I know you said I didn't have to cook anything but I still made you some breakfast. You have to eat and even though the blowjob has left you feeling very good, I still want you to eat. I don't want you to go to work without a hot meal in your stomach. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Fantastic." Renee got back up to pour Jon a glass of orange juice and placed it next to him."

"Man, this is good. Now I am glad you made breakfast for me."

"I told you that you needed to eat. Silly goose."

"I know I was silly for saying no to breakfast."

Jon finished up his breakfast then put on his work shoes at the door.

"Have a good day," Renee said.

"I will."

"You're working at the car wash today, right?"

"Yup."

"Maybe I should bring my car around so you can wash it."

"I believe you should so that I can have an excuse to take longer."

Renee laughed and hugged Jon around his waist.

"You sure you can manage two jobs?" she asked.

"I'm sure. This job at the carwash will bring in some extra cash."

"I don't want you to overwork yourself."

"Trust me, Renee, I'm not. This is something necessary that I have to do."

"If you're comfortable and not overworking and stressing yourself out, then I'll be supporting you all the way through."

Jon kissed Renee on her lips and smiled at her.

"Thanks," he said. He gave her a big hug and kissed her again. "See ya later."

"See ya. I'll have dinner ready for you, too. And you're not going to tell me not to cook you anything either when I come by your job to get my car washed!"

Jon chuckled as he turned around before closing the door.

"I won't!"


	9. Chapter 9

"Here you go. One ice cream cone," Jon said, handing a cone to Renee.

"Thank you."

"No problem." Jon sat down next to Renee on the blanket. They were enjoying the warm weather at the park and were sitting under a tree.

"This ice cream is tasty. I really love that ice cream shop."

"Yeah, it's the best in town." Jon poked Renee in her ribs, causing her to jump a little.

"Hey!"

"Hey!"

Renee poked Jon back in his stomach.

"Ow," he joked.

"You'll live."

"You're a funny gal."

"I'm aware. Man, you see those people playing softball over there? I used to play softball while I was in high school. I played for the entire four years. I was pretty damn good if I do say so myself. Won a couple of championships with my team."

"Have any pictures?"

"I sure do. I'll show them to you when we get back home."

"Can't wait to see them."

"Were you in any type of sport in school?"

"Played football for a little while but that's it. I dropped out of high school. Didn't feel like I was learning anything valuable really."

"Oh? When did you drop out?"

"After sophomore year I believe. Just did my own thing really. I'm not your ideal guy, I know. Most people would call me a loser. Probably am. I flip burgers and wash cars for a living"

"You're not a loser just because you dropped out high school. You're not the only one to do so and you're not the only one to drop out because you didn't want to be in high school anymore. And at least you have some type of employment, too."

Jon smiled then bit into his ice cream cone and continued to lick the vanilla ice cream inside. Renee had already finished hers and placed her hand on top of Jon's other hand that he had on the blanket. He looked at her when she did so and smiled again.

"I love you a lot," Renee said.

"I love you, too. Never had someone car about me this much." Jon finished his cone and scooted next to Renee. "Can't remember how it feels to be loved."

"Just remember I will always have your back. Trust me."

"I trust you. And trust me when I say you're the sunshine in my life."

"And you're the sunshine in my life, too. See, this is what you've been missing. Someone positive in your life." Renee moved a piece of hair out of Jon's eyes. She was mesmerized by his blue eyes and felt as if she could get lost in his eyes if she wanted to.

"You're right." Jon wrapped an arm around Renee and laid his head against hers.

"Oh, I know I'm right," Renee said.

"You know I've been writing about you in my journal. I made a special section just for you."

"You did? Aw, you're so kind. I would love to read it but that's still your private journal."

"You can. I just ask that you don't read the first half of my journal. There's some things I don't want to share just yet. The time isn't right."

"I understand. No need to explain."

* * *

" _I love Renee dearly. She's the only woman who has treated me with kindness even if I don't deserve it. I don't want her to ever leave me. Ever."_

Renee had read Jon's journal entries that were all about her. How funny she is, how cute she is, how she makes amazing chocolate chip pancakes. She was smiling at every entry and crying a little when Jon had said how Renee has helped him overcome some insecurities. Renee closed the journal and handed it back to Jon.

"Maybe I should start writing in a journal myself. Let out my feelings."

Jon put his journal on the coffee table then turned to Renee.

"That would be a great idea," he said. "By the way…" He slowly ran his hand up Renee's leg and rubbed her thigh. "I need to pay you back."

Renee didn't waste any time in yanking off her pants and lying down on her back. It wasn't long before Renee had ended up on top of Jon, riding him nice and slow. Jon yanked down her bra a hand over her breast, causing Renee to place her hand over Jon's and squeeze it. She bent down to kiss Jon, who had moved his hands down to her ass and squeezed it after smacking it. Renee giggled as she sat back up and placed a finger on Jon's lips.

"Your lips are so soft," she said. "Lemme kiss 'em again…" Renee bent down again and kissed Jon's lips, this time not stopping the kiss until her and Jon reached their climaxes.

Renee got off of Jon and helped him up off of the couch. Jon picked Renee up and carried her to the bathroom, placing her in the shower and turning the water on cold.

"Jonathon!" Renee yelped.

He laughed as he turned the water to warm and got in alongside her.

* * *

Eating some hot fries that he cooked for himself for his lunch break, Jon dipped a couple of fries into some ketchup and ate it. He didn't notice one of his friends had come inside of the restaurant and sit down across the table from him.

"Hey," his friend said.

"Hey," Jon said. "Didn't see you come in."

"I know. You were daydreaming."

"I was. But when you have fries everything is good."

"I'm sure it is. How have you been?"

"I've been good. Want some fries?"

"No thanks. I'm glad you're doing good but I just want to know where exactly have you been lately?"

"Working, doing some fun things here and there, and relaxing at home."

"That's nice and everything but listen, me and Leon were thinking of hitting up some liquor stores."

"Harry, no. I'm not doing it anymore. I'm not robbing anymore liquor stores. That's why I got another job at the car wash."

"At the car wash? Well, you can probably drop that job if you rob some more stores with me and Leon."

"Harry, I believe you've forgotten that I had to come to your rescue when you got your ass beat for stealing someone's flat screen. I needed to stop my bad habits and I did."

Harry eyed Jon suspiciously.

"You've changed. What's with the change man?"

"I met someone very special to me and ever since then, I've stopped doing dumb shit. I love her a lot. She's been through so much and I've made sure I've made her life happy. I still love you as a friend Harry, but I've turned over a new leaf. For both her and me."

"I see. Well, I'm not going to interrupt anything good you have going on. I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize. Just a lot has happened."

"What's happened? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"Maybe some other time. Not now. I've pushed the negative things out of my head."

"Fair enough. Maybe me and Leon shouldn't rob that liquor store."

"Ya think? Eat some fries."

Harry picked up a fry and dipped it in ketchup.

"Do I get a soda or something?"

"Yes. You can get your ass up and buy yourself your own soda."

Harry gave Jon a blank stare before getting up.

"Just kidding, I'll go get it for you."

"Asshole."

Jon smiled at his friend as he went to get him a soda.


	10. Chapter 10

Renee noticed that Jon hadn't called or texted her later that evening and she was worried even though she tried to keep her composure. Even though she had no real reason to be worried about him, she still cared about him a lot. But ever since she lost both her boyfriend and son she had been on edge. Jon finally came home with for dinner and sat it down on the table.

"Hey. Sorry I didn't call you. I took my friend back home and then went back to my job to make us burgers and fries."

"Oh, okay. That's fine. I know me pacing back and forth in the living room while waiting for you can be nerve wracking at times."

"I understand you're concerned and I should've called or texted you. I swear I am an idiot for not doing that."

"No, you're not. It's just…I'm very concerned about you. I know you'll be alright but I just care about you a lot."

Jon smiled a little and embraced Renee in hug and rubbed her back. His heat sank a little because he knew he was the reason she was suffering in the first place. All he could do was continue to treat her right and not worry her whenever he was gone. Before he knew it, he had opened his mouth to say what he should've said long ago.

"Renee, I need to tell you something."

Renee placed a finger on his lips and shook her head at him.

"I love listening to you talk but I know what you're going to say. You're probably going to say how you're sorry about what's I've been through but don't. I'm glad you care about my feelings and everything but dwelling on the past isn't going to change it. We do not need to dwell in the past. Please."

Jon nodded his head in agreement as he pushed a strand of hair out of Renee's face.

"You're right."

"I know I am. Now, let's eat this delicious food you made."

* * *

The sound of his cell ringing yanking Jon out of his sleep but thankfully Renee slept through it. Jon didn't look at his phone to see who was calling him this damn early in the morning but he knew it was.

"Hello?" he said groggily.

"Jonathan, I just got into it with my girl's dad. Can you please come and get it?"

"Seriously, Harry!? It's almost two in the damn morning!"

"Please, Jonathan! Just help me out!"

"Fine."

Jon begrudgingly crawled out of bed and went to get dressed. He would surely kick Harry's ass for waking him up out of wonderful sleep with Renee. He kissed her on her cheek, grabbed his keys and wallet and headed out of the door to get his dumb ass friend.

"I'm doing this shit again. Twice I've had to come and get you because you got into it with your girl's dad!"

"I'm sorry, man. Her dad is crazy."

"Maybe you two shouldn't have come to her dad's house then. I don't want to do this again, I'm telling you this right now!"

"I'm sorry man. I truly am. But you said it yourself you're willing to help me."

"I am. When you actually need help. Her dad is a problem you and her need to solve on her own. I have a girlfriend to look after now."

"This woman must have you whipped, more whipped than whipped cream itself."

"Do not say that. I really love this woman and I need to do right by her. She lost both her boyfriend and son in a short time this year. The least I can do is be there for her and be the best boyfriend I can be. I remember that very night I was driving down the street. It was pouring down raining as if some huge ass giant dumped a big bucket of water down on the city. Her son had got hit by a car while they were walking…I put my car in reverse when I passed her and helped her put her son in the back…it was a bad night. That's why I feel the way I feel about her."

"Wow. Well, now that I know that, it makes sense why you feel the way you do about her."

"I love you, Harry. I love you like a brother. But that's why I said what I said to you. That's way I've stopped stealing and have been on the right path. Hell, I even stopped drinking like a fish ever since I met my girl."

"You made a lot of changes."

"I owe it to her. I really do. I love her so much…I'm crazy about her."

"What's her name?"

"Renee."

"Pretty name."

"Pretty name for a pretty girl."

"Hopefully I didn't land you in trouble."

"No you didn't."

"I'll only phone when it's a legit emergency from now on. Or if I need you to pick me up from work."

"Now that's better."

* * *

Renee heard Jon come into the room and close the door. She cuddled up to him when he laid down beside her and put his arm around her waist.

"Was that a friend?" she murmured.

"Yeah."

"This friend likes calling you early in the morning when you're asleep."

"Yeah. He got into it with his girlfriend's dad and I told him that he and his girlfriend need to squash their issues with her dad."

"Yes, he does. Now, let's head back to sleep. If anyone else calls, who the hell cares."

"I love the way you think. I told him only to call for emergency and that's it."

"Now that's what I like to hear! Sleep time. Night, love."

"Night."

* * *

Fall had finally arrived and this meant hot apple spice and loads of cuddling and snuggling under blankets while watching television and eating delicious fall sweets. But Jon wanted to take Renee on a hike through the city trail before they did any of that.

Renee picked up a few yellow and orange leaves that had fallen on the rocks and shoved them in her pocket to keep as souvenirs.

"Having fun?" Jon asked.

"Yup!" she replied.

They continued walking on the trail, observing the dazzling scenery of the green trees, small little animals such as squirrels and rabbits. The air was cool and smelled like a fresh garden in the summer time. Both Jon and Renee were at ease as they walked together with their arms intertwined with each other, grateful that they had each other.

"This is very pretty," Jon said.

"It is. I didn't even know this trail existed!" Renee said. "How did you find out about it?"

"One day I had a terrible day at work and I needed to go somewhere to clear my head for a moment. I was driving and saw the sign to this place and immediately parked my car in the parking lot, bought a ticket, and started walking this very trail."

"It was a good thing that you had a bad day then. Because if you didn't, you wouldn't have stumbled upon this gem of a trail."

"You're right. I probably wouldn't have."

"But now we're here. Man, all this is very beautiful. We should come back tomorrow."

"We should definitely come back tomorrow."

Jon and Renee stopped by a shop at the end of the trail where Jon bought Renee a bunch of shirts, magnets, socks, and apple spice. Renee wanted to buy something for Jon but he refused and even tried to convince him to buy something for himself but once again he refused.

"As long as you had a great time and have some gifts to take back with you, that's all that matters."

"Aww."

Even the cashier couldn't help but say "Aww" as well when he heard Jon say that to Renee.

Grabbing her hand, Jon lead Renee out of the store then twirled her around.

"You are the sweetest thing I've ever met," he said.

"I better be!"

"You are!"

Jon pulled Renee to the side where no one could see them and gave her a long kiss on her lips.

"I love you more than anything in the entire damn world. And I want you to remember that, too. I know we cannot dwell in the past but after what you've been through I've made it my mission to make your life better. I hope I have."

"You have and I'm grateful. And for that, I say I love you." Renee cupped Jon's chin in her hands again and kissed him. "Now, let's go home and made some hot apple cider and cuddle under the blankets?"

"After we have sex right?"

Renee smirked at Jon and nodded her head.

"Sure thing."


	11. Chapter 11

"Right there..." Renee breathed heavily.

"That felt good. Wanna make some apple cider, hun?" Jon asked, running his hand along Renee's thigh.

"Sounds good. I want to eat that sweet popcorn I bought the other day." Renee climbed out of bed to and slipped on a robe. "I'll meet you in the kitchen."

Jon headed to the kitchen to make the hot apple cider for him and Renee. Renee snuck up behind him and threw her hands around his waist.

"Boo!" she said.

"Boo to you, too, hun!"

"Maybe instead of watching t.v. we should go and have sex again?" Renee tugged at Jon's basketball shorts and smirked.

"Maybe later tonight," Jon said. "Never say never. We should eat the popcorn later after dinner."

Jon poured a cup of apple cider for Renee and another cup for himself. They sat down on the couch and drunk their cider. They didn't turn on the t.v. as they had wanted to stand in front of the window to see the wonderful scene.

"I haven't sat at the window's ledge and watched snow fall in forever. Last time was with my boyfriend and son last year. But now, I have you." Renee smiled at Jon who almost didn't hear her and had to force himself to smile at her. Her smile then faded when she noticed he hadn't had the most cheery look on his face. "Jonathan, what's the matter?"

"Nothing."

"I've noticed that sometimes when I speak about my boyfriend, your expression changes drastically. What' the matter?"

"It's nothing, Renee."

"It's something, Jonathan. We can't stay together and keep our feelings hidden."

"I'm not hiding my feelings, Renee. I've told you everything that has gone on with me."

"You sure? You sure nothing is wrong?"

"I'm sure, Renee."

Renee hugged Jon as she caressed his back.

"I'm sorry if I irritated you just then. I care about you a lot."

"I know you do." Jon put his cup down on the table and continued to hug Renee.

The snow falling to the ground continued to ease the tension that was about to rise up. Renee decided to say one last thing before dropping the subject altogether.

"I'll stop talking about my boyfriend if you want to. If it makes you feel uncomfortable, I'll stop."

"If you want to talk about your boyfriend, you can. Don't let me stop you."

"Alright."

* * *

The next day, Renee was vacuuming the living room floor when she saw Jon stumble through the door.

"Oh, hi," he said

Renee cut the vacuum cleaner off so she could hear what she was saying.

"What was that?" she asked.

"I said..." Jon paused as he hiccuped. "Oh, hi."

"Hi. I take it you went out drinking."

"Yup. I did. My friend dropped me off. I thought I was about to fall downstairs."

"Sounds like and looks like you did."

"Well...I didn't."

"You should go and lie down. I had made dinner but it looks like you won't be eating it right now. I thought you received my text but I guess you didn't. You still have your wallet, phone, and keys on you?"

"Yup." Jon tried to take off his shoes but almost fell to his knees.

Renee let go of the vacuum cleaner and helped Jon to the bedroom. She did not want to anger Jon as she didn't know how he was when he was drunk and quite frankly, didn't want to know. Just in case something did happen, however, she would definitely stay with a friend or in a motel. She absolutely loved Jon dearly but she didn't want to fight him. She thought this would be the only time Jon would come home intoxicated but she was wrong. She had become fed up with it and confronted Jon about it one night. This time was simply buzzed but Renee still had had enough.

"Why are you coming home drunk all of the time? What's the matter with you, huh?" Renee asked Jon as he undressing in the bathroom.

He kept his attention on himself in the mirror undressing.

"I just don't know how to handle my liquor sometimes is all. Guess I did to do better and simply stay away from the bar."

"Yeah, you do." Renee folded her arms across her chest and leaned against the door. "Why are you drinking so much, Jonathan? You need to tell me something."

Jon sighed and looked at Renee with weary eyes.

"I just...need something to help me cope with certain shit."

"Like what?"

"Sometimes I feel like...I have you trapped...as if...I rushed you to stay with me. You deserve someone better than me. I'm not shit. Trust me."

"I know you feel that way but I'm not leaving you. I know this sounds crazy but I need you. I couldn't have imagined getting through my tough time without you. Why do you want me to leave you so bad?"

 _'I wish I could tell you,'_ Jon thought.

"Like I said, you deserve someone better than me."

Renee hugged Jon tightly around his waist and looked up at him. She would not leave Jon under any circumstances whatsoever unless she really needed and had to. She did not like Jon feeling that because of him, she was miserable when she wasn't. What exactly was it that was making him feel the way he did? She decided that she would have to read one of his diary entries in order to find out. Even though she promised not to read his diary unless she asked and unless he was comfortable, she needed to know what was going on because it was bothering her at this point. But this time, she would have to break her promise to Jon. Whatever his reason for feeling the way she felt, she would find out and would not be mad about it. If there was another woman involved, however, then that would be a problem. But Jon was too much of a sweetheart to cheat on her and besides, he had always been by her side.

* * *

When Jon had fallen asleep that night, Renee got up, put on her robe, then went to the closet and pulled out Jon's diary from the shoe box he kept it in. She sneaked out of the room and closed the door behind her quietly. She turned on the light above the kitchen sink and sat down at the table to read the diary. She opened the diary at the bookmark where Jon had wrote his latest entry from that morning. Renee began to read an entry where Jon had stated he was sick of keeping his deepest, darkest, and bad secret from the woman he loves but still couldn't bring himself to tell her just yet. He had written that she deserved to know the truth soon. Renee then flipped to the previous entry to see that he wrote that he find solace in drinking because it distracted him from the secret he was keeping from Renee. She then flipped to the very first entry and was shocked to read what she did.

 **"I robbed the first liquor store on the corner this evening. I got a rush out of it. I'm going to do it again tomorrow night. Tired of being broke. Working this shit job with no good pay and I am not going to continue struggling just to put food on my table and clothes on my back. I will say I am pretty damn good at not getting caught."**

Renee finished reading the entry and had to close her eyes to gather her thoughts. The entry had been written before they even met so she wasn't as mad as she should've been. But she was not please to find out about Jon robbing liquor stores either. So this is why Jon wanted her to leave, huh? She flipped through a couple of more pages and landed on another entry. All she had read was "I fucked up. I fucked up bad" when she heard Jon call out her name.

"Renee! What are you going?" He had got up to go to the bathroom and had saw the light from the kitchen on. He was shocked to find Renee sitting at the table reading his diary, the very thing she promised him she wouldn't read without asking him first. He rushed to get hi diary from Renee but she had stood up and held his diary away from him. "Give it here!"

"So, you used to rob liquor stores, huh?"

"I used to. But I stopped when I met you."

"That's all good, but damn you should've told me you did that. You ever go to jail for it?"

"Not for robbing liquor stores."

"I cannot believe you. Man...I cannot stand to look at you right now."

"I told you I was going to tell you everything when the time was right."

"When was the right time going to be? Never? Gosh, no wonder you keep telling me I need to leave you. You barely have a high school education but you know how to rob liquor stores and count the money you stole! Man, you are such a fucking loser!"

Renee immediately shut her mouth as she watched Jon's expression turn from irritation to sorrow. Jon's blue eyes filled with tears as he shook his head.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered. "I gotta go."

"Jon, wait!" Renee said, rushing after him as he went back to the room to get dressed.

Jon knew it was his fault that he didn't tell Renee what he had did in the past.

He knew he could only blame himself.

* * *

 **Author's note: I am only able to upload this one chapter today. I will be taking a two week break because my laptop is being fixed and I'm using someone else's. Please be patient. I will upload again once my laptop is fixed.**


	12. Chapter 12

"Jon, wait!" Renee said. "Just stop what you're doing and let me talk to you!"

"Leave me be!" Jon said. "I need to get out of here. Just…let me go." He opened his wallet to see if he had his driver's license then shoved it into his back pocket.

"Look, I'm sorry about what I said! I know I was wrong so let's just talk about it!"

"There's nothing to talk about right now."

"Look, here's your journal. I won't read anything else from it."

"You shouldn't have read it in the first place. You know…I don't think it was a good idea to move you in here with me. I keep telling you I'm not the man you think I am…I have a checkered past…it's all bad, Renee. But for some reason you're in love with me. I'm not putting on an act about loving you back because I really do love you but…I'm not a good person."

"You keep saying you're not a good person but dammit if you weren't a good person I wouldn't be with you right now, Jonathan! Just…stop being so damn hard on yourself. What, you think you're not a lovable person? Okay, so you robbed liquor stores…whatever! Did you kill somebody or something? Did you do something that you regret to this day? It's eating away at you, I can see that, so…if you think because you've made a mistake like everyone else has that you're a bad person, you can forget it because you're not. And I love you because I feel safe with you. I just need you to remember that."

Jon sat down on the bed then picked up his journal and stared at it. Renee sat down next to him and rubbed his back as she kissed his cheek.

"There's something I want to tell you so bad. It involves…you."

"You know what? Even though I'm all for listening to what you have to say, I don't want to know about it right now. You may want to tell me right now but I have a feeling you're not ready to do so. So, I'm not going to rush you to do anything you don't want to do and I will not read your journal again."

"Are you sure you don't want to hear what I have to say?"

"Not right now. Only when you're ready. And when I'm ready as well because I'd need to prepare myself."

"Well, okay."

"Are we cool now?"

"Yeah. We're cool."

* * *

Renee lit up a cigarette and blew out the smoke through her nostrils. It was her lunch break and she was standing outside in the back of the restaurant all by herself. She only had one cigarette some years ago one time but this time she was smoking her second one. Deep down she was worried about Jon and if he even trusted her after she read his journal without asking him first. She still felt bad about it but knew she couldn't keep dwelling in the past. Her phone began to vibrate in her pocket as someone was calling her and she took it out to see it was Jon.

"Hello?" she said when she picked up.

"Hey, how're you?"

"Okay and you?"

"I'm fine. I'm just calling to let you know that I'm going to be working late today. Boss needs some of us to close up shop. I'll catch a ride with a friend so you can go ahead and go home."

"I'll wait for you after work."

"Renee, I'm going to be working an extra two hours."

"And I can wait for you in those extra two hours, too."

"Whatever you say." Jon chuckled and shook his head. "I won't stop you, boss lady. You know where to find me."

"I sure do."

Renee had woken up when she heard someone knocking on her window to her car. She had quickly unlocked the doors for Jon then lifted her seat up.

"Hi, sleepy head." Jon got in the car then gave Renee a kiss.

"Hi, love." She started the engine then drove onto the street towards home. "How was work?"

"It was okay. How was work for you?"

"Okay."

"I guess we had some pretty okay days today then, hehe." Jon's eyes fell onto a carton of cigarettes that was in a cup holder. He picked it up and looked at it. "When did you start smoking?"

"I was a bit stressed today so I decided to smoke some cigarettes. Friend gave them to me. I had smoked one cigarette years ago and today was the first time in forever I smoked one."

"I would've done the same today if I could." Jon placed the cigarettes back in the cup holder and closed his eyes to rest them.

* * *

Once they got home, they both sat on their balcony and lit up one cigarette that they shared.

"You ever wonder what life would be like if everything was different?" Jon asked Renee. He took a puff of the cigarette and handed it to Renee.

"Sometimes. But, hey…we have to play with the cards we're dealt."

"True. But I know you haven't wished for things to be different, though."

"No doubt. But everything that's going for me right now is fine."

"Same here. I just hope that we can make it. That's my one wish."

"It's been almost a year now. We've made it far enough so…let's continue making it, shall we?"

Renee smoked the last bit of cigarette before putting the butt out in the ashtray and grabbing Jon's hand. Jon closed the sliding door screen door behind him and let Renee lead him to the bedroom. As soon as the both of them laid down on the bed, all they did was snuggle with each other. No more words needed to be spoken between the two as they laid together in silence, each of them thinking about how grateful they are to be in each other's arms. Jon finally came to terms with the fact that Renee was indeed in love with him and even though he still hadn't told her what he needed to tell her, she was still comfortable being with him. He knew that he had to come clean about the other stuff he did and he knew Renee wanted to know but when the time was right, then it would happen.

And that would be soon enough.

* * *

"Where would you like to go this weekend?" Jon asked Renee.

"I don't know, really. Where would you like to go?" she asked.

"Anywhere you want to. Just say the place and we'll go."

"Hmm…how about the arcade? Just something simple."

"You got it." Jon started the engine then backed out of the parking lot and drove onto the main street. "Anywhere else?"

"Nah. Just the arcade."

"Your wish is my command."

"Actually…I want to go to the hill you took me to."

"Coolio. Can we get some snacks first then?"

"Sure."

* * *

"The city looks so beautiful from up here," Renee said, popping a gummy bear in her mouth.

"Yes, it does." Jon chugged down the rest of his soda and put the bottle in the bag.

"Jon?"

"Yeah?"

Renee nodded her head towards the backseat as she put the pack of gummy bears on the dashboard and Jon knew exactly what that meant. Jon looked around him as he climbed into the backseat behind Renee and sat down. Renee straddled him as she planted kisses on his neck.

"I'm glad I thought about this spot…" she said.

"I'm glad you did, too. Every time I make love to you, I swear you look damn gorgeous."

"You look quite handsome yourself."

"Ah, I'm alright. Not fancy looking."

"Trust me…you're fancy looking."

"Okay, whatever you say!"

"Just shut up and kiss me…"

Renee and Jon slobbered each other with kisses as they removed every particle of clothing on their body and were finally naked right in broad daylight. They didn't care as they both fucked each other's brains out and gave each other bruises and hickeys along the way.

They were definitely having a good time alright.


	13. Chapter 13

"Jon...I'm about to cum..." Renee said.

Jon quickly thrusted into Renee until he filled her up with his hot cum and slowly slid of her.

"That was a rather interesting sex session…" Jon said.

Renee pushed a strand of Jon's hair out of his face then caressed his cheek.

"Yes, it was. You know...you're great at making love to me."

"I'm glad I am. Still want to go to the arcade?"

"Most definitely."

* * *

Harry had happened to be at the arcade when Jon and Renee arrived and greeted them. He challenged Jon to a mini golf game and the loser had to buy beers…and Harry was definitely the loser.

"Man, you cheated!" Harry said.

"No, I didn't…" Jon said with a smirk. "You can't play for crap!"

"I'm going to go to the bathroom, okay?" Renee said to Jon.

"Okay."

When Renee was out of listening range, Harry smiled at Jon.

"She's very pretty. She really is."

"I know. She makes me very happy. She's been through so much so I want to be there for her."

"What happened?"

Jon sighed then took a drink of his beer. He knew he had to choose his words wisely even around his best friend Harry.

"She lost her boyfriend and son all within a few weeks months ago. I had saw her and her son on the side of the road and took him to the emergency room. It was a terrible night."

"Oh, damn. I feel so bad for her. But that's good that you have stepped up to help her out and during the process you guys can became a couple."

"I need to continue being the best I can be…she really loves me. She's the first person to really say "I love you" to me."

"That means something! Don't mess that up, man."

"I won't…I won't."

* * *

 **The next day:**

"I'm going to visit my aunt. She's at the local nursing home not too far from here. You want to come with me?" Renee asked Jon.

"No, thanks. You go ahead and visit your aunt."

Renee wrapped her arms around Jon's waist as she looked at him shaving in the morning.

"I'd really like for you to come with me," she said. "I want you to meet her because she's very funny and she'll make you laugh very easily. I haven't seen you smiling much in the last few days so I want you to cheer up some."

"Okay." Jon winked at Renee as he continued to shave his beard.

* * *

"Hey, Aunt Yvonne!" Renee said to her aunt.

"Renee! My favorite niece! Come on over here and give your aunt a hug and a kiss a girl!"

Renee embraced her aunt and beckoned for Jon to come over to greet her aunt Yvonne.

"Aunt Yvonne, this is my boyfriend, Jon. Jon, this is my aunt!"

"Hello, good sir! Come over here and give me a big hug, young man!" Aunt Yvonne gave Jon a big hug then a kiss on his forehead. She definitely wasn't going to treat him like a stranger and wanted to get to know him. "How are you, young man?"

"I'm doing fine," Jon said. "How are you, ma'am?"

"I'm doing fine. Alright you two, sit down, grab some Oreos and juice, sit down in those two chairs next to my bed, and tell me about how you guys are doing. Renee has told me so much about you."

Jon grabbed some snacks and juice for him and Renee and sat down in a chair next to her. Renee took some cookies and began munching on them as she listened to Jon and her aunt talk.

"Well, your niece is an amazing person and I love her very much. I would love to remain in a relationship with her for a very long time."

"That's what I like to hear! I really, really, really do. It warms my heart. My first husband was a complete jackass!"

Jon snorted when he heard that and had to cover his mouth before he spit out his juice. He wasn't expecting Renee's aunt to say that but she did tell him she was indeed a riot.

"I TOLD him that he didn't need to keep any damn secrets from me. No matter how bad the secret is, I wanted to know. He told me he didn't want to be with me anymore so I said fine. I let his ass go because he was already a dick and met someone else new. Was married to him for a long time until he passed. I miss him to this day but one thing he didn't do was keep secrets from me…"

Jon took heed to what Renee's aunt was telling him and began to debate about whether or not he should tell Renee what he did. He would have to find a good time to tell her and he would have to explain everything to her, even why he was so protective of his journal. He felt he needed to finally come clean as he would finally be at peace with himself and he hoped Renee would understand everything but he also wouldn't blame her if she wanted to slap the hell out of him.

Most nights Jon didn't get any sleep because of the guilt that continued to eat at him. He needed to tell the woman he loved the truth whether he liked it or not.

* * *

 **Few days later:**

Jon came home tired as a dog one night and saw Renee present him with a box of doughnuts.

"Here you go. Some doughnuts after a long day at work just for you," she said. "I also made dinner. Guess what it is?"

"Smells like steak. My favorite!" Jon said.

"Yes, it is! I want you to have something sweet right now though. I want to spoil you right now."

They heard a loud knock at the door and Jon went to answer it. He quickly shoved the person who tried to enter into the house out of the doorway and closed the door behind him. Renee heard Jon and the other person arguing then heard a loud thud against the door. She shrieked, dropped the doughnuts, and quickly reached for her phone to call her 911.

Jon burst through the door to see Renee struggling to dial 911 but quickly ran in to stop her.

"No, Renee. No," he said. "I just kicked that guy's ass. He won't be coming back anytime soon. Trust me." He locked the door then leaned his head against it and closed his eyes.

"Jonathan Good, you better not have any crazy ass friends around here that I don't know about!"

"Trust me, you're the only friend I have right now…" Jon picked up the box of doughnuts from the ground and began to devour one. "I need to eat like…this entire box…"

"Jon, why did that guy come by…"

"He legit thought that I was someone he knew…just a weirdo to be honest…I had to drop kick him because he's a pain in my ass for a long time. Okay, I just want to drop it now…Let's eat dinner."

Renee took an extra measure and put one of the chairs from the dinner table against the doorknob and then rushed to sit down at the table to eat.

"I'm going to take your word for it," she said quietly.

"Renee, trust me on this. He's someone I've been dealing with for a long time."

"Okay." For a while they sat in silence eating until Renee spoke up again. "You sure we're going to be alright…"

"Renee, honey, yes…" Jon nodded his head. "We will be alright."

"Okay."

After dinner, Renee made sure all the windows to the apartment were closed and the chair remained in the front door. Jon couldn't blame her however as she never experienced an incident like that living with Jon so she had every reason to be a bit scared. To ease her mind, Jon proposed a plan to make her feel better. They had lucked out and both got a few days off of work so he decided to take her on another trip.

"Let's go to Chicago," he said.

"Chicago!?" Renee said.

"Yes! Chicago! Tomorrow!"


End file.
